Have option to restore to a previous version of a list
A number of our academics, especially when quite recently trained in using Aspire, are horrified to discover that if they make major mistakes on lists (such as accidentally deleting whole sections and their contents - yes, I know there are big red warnings but they click past them!) there is no way they can easily revert to the previous version.
Nor is there any way Library staff can make a copy of the published version of a list if there are unpublished changes (because you can only see the unchanged, Published version by being logged out, and you can only make a copy when you are logged in - at which point you can only access the Draft version which has all the accidental and unwanted changes/removals!)
Obviously, if they have not Published then we can export a published version as a PDF for them to look at, and we can use the RIS export function to export all the items from the published list, but we can't export or copy the list structure, notes, etc so this kind of error can involve a huge amount of time to fix, either from Library staff or the academics themselves.
With other technologies (such as Google Docs/Sheets) they are now very used to having the power to revert to the previous version of something, so it comes as a shock that they don't have it with Aspire.
Could we look at either being able to revert to previous versions, or at the very least, having a function which would enable Library staff to make a copy of the published version of a list rather than the Draft version?
An idea along these lines was proposed and declined years ago (https://ideas.talis.com/forums/32805-talis-aspire-reading-lists/suggestions/6453614-restore-earlier-versions-of-a-list) but I would like to re-propose it.
Hazel Rothera
shared this idea
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Amjad Husain
commented
I totally agree but I would go one step further and say that ideally, we need a way of also retrieving lists accidentally deleted. It is so easy to accidentally delete a section instead of deleting an item on a list. Bothe are in the same area of the screen and say delete. We have had examples of staff inadvertently deleting a large irretrievable section.
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Mary Punch
commented
Agreed! I've had to contact Talis in the past to reinstate accidentally deleted lists. Surely this would make sense for the institutions to have the ability to do this?
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Robin Farndon
commented
This happens quite frequently at UEA, and is a big source of stress for our academics. Some kind of undo would be a huge time saver for me, and stop a lot of panic for academic colleagues when they make a mistake. It's the most requested bit of functionality for our academic staff.
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Louise Koch
commented
This can happen also when a non-self managing academic requests a section to be deleted by the library reading list team but then change their mind later.
